Four awesome Aussie start-ups that pitched at CeBIT PitchFest 2017

The CeBIT Pitchfest 2017 cat is well and truly out of the bag with Macquarie-based start-up Look Who’s Charging taking home first prize. Their technology to help eradicate unknown transactions on bank statements really caught the judge’s interest. But, the judges had to make a pretty tough call. The competition was strong and the ideas pitched were of a very high calibre.

In this post we want to give you a bit more insight into some of the other incredible Australian start-ups that braved the stage to be judged by PitchFest’s three judges; James Cameron, AirTree Ventures, Maureen Murphy, Commercialisation Adviser and Raj Dalal, Big Insights.

Share with Oscar:This app lets you book and use a residential parking space at some of Sydney’s most congested hotspots. Locals and tourists alike understand the pain of trying to find a beach-side park at Bondi. Founders Lisa Qi and Louise Chen explained just like Airbnb, you book, park and pay all through the app. So far they have more than 250+ parks, 2000+ users, 10,000+ parking hours. The duo are seeking $380,000 in funding to help them reach their 12-month goal of 7500 parks, with a hyper-local targeted approach. The judges were impressed with the pitch and saw the impact this app could have. Mr Dalal questioned the pair about public liability implications, however the founders claimed this was all checked off. He further gave the dynamic duo some suggestions on more commercialisation opportunities.

Rivuu: This savvy social media content approval platform was an impressive runner-up at PitchFest. Founder Max Doyle impressed the judges with his commitment to branding, decking himself out in Rivuu’s signature bold yellow, complete with matching shoes. He’s seeking initial funding to dial up marketing efforts before heading into a Series A funding round. Since launching in January the platform has found success with brands such as Playstation and Uniqlo. But even more impressive, global agencies like Ogilvy have onboarded the offer. Doyle’s pitch outlined the long term plan for the business, and how it aims make life easier for the 240,183 global advertising agencies. The judges love his pitch and passion and asked an unexpected question: What could possibly go right? To which Doyle swiftly replied, “people could realise the potential of the tool” and everything it has to offer.

SoundScouts:Co-creator and founder Carolyn Mee pitched her hearing check game app to the audience. The entertaining app was developed to to make hearing screening affordable, accurate and within reach for for everyone. The app works by engaging children in a game and monitoring their responses to certain questions. She was seeking $3m to take the platform global. The judges said Mee’s pitch was backed with a solid business plan and that the advisory board made it stand out. The app took home third prize.

Arludo:Charismatic founder Dr Michael Kasumovic presented his library of mobile apps that inspire students to learn. Using engaging gamification methods, paired with augmented reality elements, students and teachers from the primary school level right through to tertiary levels can deeply engage with STEM learning via these apps. The biology teacher wowed the audience with a video of how the apps work and how they’re already being put to use in classrooms. With nearly 10k downloads and a school-based subscription model already in place at one university, Dr Kasumovic is forecast to hit $1m profit in just four years. The judges were impressed with the apps and complimented him on his engaging pitch delivery.